


yellow tulips

by jojotxt



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Human, Language of Flowers, M/M, this is total cheese im disgusted....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:52:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojotxt/pseuds/jojotxt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His original plan had been to give Papyrus a huge bouquet of red roses and lay across the bakery counter with a single rose in his mouth, but Burgerpants had told him that, “Sometimes, subtlety is the best approach.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	yellow tulips

**Author's Note:**

> AU: mettaton owns a flower shop and papyrus is the barista next door and theyre both so in love with each other it's disgusting  
> i have a weakness for flower meanings so.... here u go  
> *edit: oh yes for nationalities mettaton is filipino and papyrus is latino!!!

Papyrus loved his job. He liked walking into the brightly lit bakery every morning and smelling the sweet concoctions his boss was preparing for the new day and the aroma of coffee and whipped cream. He loved hearing the bell jingle whenever he’d open the door, and he especially loved wearing his pink frilly work apron (that his boss absolutely _loathed_ ) with the white embroidered letters spelling out the bakery’s name: Babycakes. It was cheesy and punny and had Papyrus shaking his head in dismay, but it was the best job he’d ever had. Although he wasn’t very good at baking any of the pastries they sold—his specialty had always been spaghetti—he could make a mean mocha and had a talent of creating silly foam art (albeit he wasn’t very good at it). But Papyrus enjoyed it best when he was manning the cash register. Encountering so many people throughout the day may seem tiring to many, but to Papyrus it was exhilarating. He enjoyed seeing so many unique characters, and interacting with people was his specialty.

All in all, Papyrus’ job was pretty good.

Except… there was something else. Something even better than the customers and the coffee and the delicious pastry smell. Something that Papyrus looked forward to every day. The flower shop next door. Well, more specifically, the _owner_ of the flower shop next door.

Every day, at one o’clock pm, the door would open with a flourish and a dramatic entrance would be crafted by what Papyrus considered the man of his dreams. He was tan, lean, and _tall_. Taller than Papyrus, which was a feat. Of course, his height could have been contributed from the tall go-go boots he wore every day. His hair covered one of his milky brown eyes, and he had a smile that seemed to warm Papyrus from the tips of his fingers to the bottom of his toes.

His name was Mettaton, and Papyrus thought he was the most amazing person in the entire universe.

**

Every Friday was clearance day at Mettaton’s nursery, which meant that on Friday at closing time, Papyrus had the privilege of receiving a single flower from Mettaton if there were any left. It wasn’t anything special, considering the flowers were just leftovers, but sometimes when Mettaton would hand him his flower, their fingers would brush against each other and the feeling would linger and send sparks throughout Papyrus’ body and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Sometimes, when Mettaton would come into the shop during his one o’clock break, Papyrus would sneak an extra apple scone into Mettaton’s bag, because he knew they were his favorite. Mettaton would smile at him in a way that he smiled at no one else and he would blow him a kiss on the way out, as thanks.

When Mettaton made his foreboding entrances each day, he would order the same thing: a vanilla bean latte—with a silly foam design crafted by Papyrus—and a surprise pastry. Mettaton liked the idea of surprises, Papyrus found out. So each day, Undyne (his boss) would make a new special pastry just for Mettaton and would set it aside until he appeared. It was just one of those things that Papyrus enjoyed about working at the bakery.

Sometimes, Mettaton would arrive at the bakery with someone else: a smaller, but beefier and nervous looking teenager that Mettaton called, “Burgerpants.” When he and Papyrus were introduced, he found that the teen was working for Mettaton (and absolutely loathed his job apparently). Mettaton also seemed to have no personal space when it came to Burgerpants, either. He’d sit down at a table in the bakery and would lean against the other and wrap his arms around him and give him a loving smile and it made Papyrus sick to his stomach. It made him bite his lip and have to hold back tears from appearing in his eyes and sometimes seeing Mettaton with his coworker was just too much and Papyrus would have to leave to the breakroom to calm himself down.

He didn’t have anything against Mettaton’s worker. He really didn’t. He just hated seeing Mettaton so close to someone and looking at someone the way he wanted to be looked at.

Papyrus never asked Mettaton about the nature of his and Burgerpants’ relationship; he thought it would be rude to do so. So he just watched from his post behind the counter and tried to hold back his feelings, secretly hoping that Mettaton wasn’t in love with someone else.

Whenever Mettaton was alone, however, he always sat at the counter, next to where Papyrus was. He would talk to Papyrus about anything and everything for the entire hour he was there. He would smile and laugh and make terrible puns (which he knew Papyrus loathed) and Papyrus always felt like whatever deity was above him was smiling down on him, gifting him with the pure grace of an angel that wore fishnets and high heels. Sometimes, Mettaton would stay longer than he intended because he was talking to Papyrus for so long, and he would make a show of it, gasping and declaring, “Would you look at the time, darling! I was simply so entranced by your presence I’ve been gone from the shop for over an hour!” Then he would lean over and hug Papyrus, intoxicating him with the scent of flowers and soil and a hint of the perfume that Mettaton wore.

Mettaton carried himself so highly and shone with every step he took and every move he made and Papyrus was so blinded by his beauty and grace, that he didn’t realize just how much he liked Mettaton until he was already hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him.

**

Mettaton was in love. That much he was certain, at least.

He was in love with his job. Ever since he was young he had always had a passion for horticulture and would read up on different types of flowers and shrubs and would bring his encyclopedia of plants with him when he went adventuring out on his own in his backyard. So, it wasn’t a big surprise when he decided to open his own little nursery shop when he was out of college. Mettaton loved tending to all of his plants and enjoyed walking into his shop every morning to the sound of the little tinkling bell and seeing all the bright yellows and lavenders and reds and greens that invaded his shop. Even though his lousy worker—Burgerpants—was an eyesore, he loved his job, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Mettaton was also in love with the bakery next door. It was quaint and bright and always smelled so wonderful whenever he took his break there. The coffee always tasted amazing and the pastries were divine. Undyne was a personal friend of his, so it was nice to be able to see her every day. The bakery itself wasn’t anything upscale or grand, but it was so close to Mettaton and it was something that had become a part of his everyday schedule, he wasn’t willing to let it go.

Mettaton was also in love with the barista. He had dark skin and shortly cropped dark hair and hazel eyes that shined so golden in bright light. His nose was littered with tiny freckles and his front teeth had a small gap between them and Mettaton thought it was just the most endearing thing in the world. He was loud when he spoke and carried himself in a way that reminded Mettaton of himself. He always doodled a little foam picture in Mettaton’s latte; sometimes it was a crudely drawn cat, sometimes it was a dog that looked a little rough, and sometimes… it was a perfectly drawn heart. That was his favorite design.

Papyrus was so wonderful in every single way, and Mettaton didn’t know what to do with these feelings that had developed over knowing him. So, he made his attraction known in the best way he could: through flowers.

His original plan had been to give Papyrus a huge bouquet of red roses and lay across the bakery counter with a single rose in his mouth, but Burgerpants had told him that, “Sometimes, subtlety is the best approach.” So instead, he opted to giving a flower to Papyrus every Friday with an excuse that it was “clearance day”. He started out with simple flowers, not wanting to confess his undying love too abruptly.

The first time Mettaton had given him a flower, he gave him a Pink Tulip, which stood for caring.

The second time he gave Papyrus a flower, he gave him an Orchid, which stood for beauty.

The third time he gave him a flower, he gave him a Sunflower, which stood for adoration.

Every single Friday, Mettaton secretly told Papyrus how he felt about him, and every single time, Papyrus gave him this absolutely beautiful smile that spread from ear to ear and all Mettaton wanted to do was throw his fears behind him and kiss the boy and show him just how much he was loved. But every single time, something inside Mettaton would cause him to simply smile and walk away.

This time, however, it was different.

It was early spring, and things were just beginning to grow. This was Mettaton’s favorite time of the year, seeing the flowers beginning to bloom and blossom and feeling the days getting warmer and brighter. It was a Friday.

This was the Friday that Mettaton would confess to the boy he had been in love with for two years.

It was almost closing time for the bakery when Mettaton walked into the shop, carrying a single yellow Tulip.

He walked up to the counter where Papyrus was, and watched as the boy’s eyes brightened when he noticed Mettaton. Mettaton felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest and he could feel his hands start to shake and sweat from nervousness.

“Hey Mettaton! How was business today?”

Mettaton gave a shaky smile. “Just perfect, darling.”

“That’s great! So, what’s that you got there?” Papyrus’ eyes were on the Tulip in his hand.

Mettaton sucked in a breath and gave a shaky exhale before closing his eyes. He lifted his hand and held out the flower to Papyrus.

“Wowie it’s so pretty! And yellow! You must’ve put a lot of care into this one, Mettaton!”

Mettaton opened his eyes and smiled. “The language of flowers.”

“Huh?” Papyrus looked up at him and gave a questioning look.

“Flowers have meanings. A-and the meaning of this one… yellow Tulip…” He let out another harsh breath. He looked at the boy in front of him, the boy with the most beautiful smile in the world and the boy who made Mettaton feel so warm all over and the boy that Mettaton loved more than anything else in the universe.

He looked at Papyrus and let go of his fears.

Yellow Tulips: hopelessly in love.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is bucellati come talk to me about papyton


End file.
